Is HP Instant Ink Worth It? (HP Instant Ink Review)
Say good-bye to expensive ink cartridges and hello to color printables. Read this HP Instant Ink Review to see how you can print for pennies.
I remember the day clearly: it was during a 2016 Presidental Election Debate. My old printer finally died.
It has seen heavy use for several years. Printing forms, coupons, and of course, full-color routine charts.
As I researched new printers, I learned about HP Instant Ink and decided to give it a try. So we purchased an HP Wireless Printer and enrolled in the program.
Now you want to print all the full-color here on PrintableParents.com, but you have been worried about the ink costs. Well, I’ve got you covered.
This is not a sponsored post. I *might* get some free ink from this review but this blog post is really to help parents like you save money.
This HP Instant Ink Review is my personal experience over the last four years.
After you read this review, you’ll know exactly what you need to know about the HP Instant Ink program so you can save money on printer ink.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read more here.
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Is HP Instant Ink Worth It?
Let’s cut the chase in this HP Instant Ink Review – will it save you money? Yes.
It’s also going to save you time. Here’s how:
Saves Time & Stress
With HP Instant Ink, you’ll no longer be running to the store at the last minute to get an ink cartridge to print some really important documents.
Whether it’s your child’s preschool enrollment form, your tax documents, or some letter tracing worksheets, you will never run out of ink with HP Instant Ink.
It’s automatically sent straight to your door. You don’t need to place an order or notify HP – it’s shipped before you run low.
Plus, HP Instant Ink includes a postage-paid return envelope. This way, you can return your old ink cartridges and they’ll recycle them.
Saves Money
Before we discovered HP Instant Ink, I was spending $19 on black cartridges and $24 on color cartridges on Amazon. Occasionally, I’d get coupons or do the refill service at Costco but that required extra errands.
I was spending about $180 a year for ink. Now that I use HP Instant Ink, I spend $60 annually – and I print even more frequently!
You can print more pages, even full-color, for LESS money!
However, I had to purchase a new printer anyway, since our old one had died. I didn’t factor that into my cost.
But crunch the numbers, you might save money even if you have a working printer already.
Consider what you might spend for ink over two years:
- Buy color ink 3 times a year for $24 (6x$24)= $144
- Buy black ink 4 times a year for $19 (8x$19) = $152
- Total Cost for two years = $296
With HP Instant Ink, over two years you’d spend:
- Buy a new HP Printer = $90
- Get a HP Instant Ink Plan for $2.99/mo for 24 months = $72
- Total Cost for two years = $162
So consider your printing needs and dust off your calculator. You’ll probably save a ton of cash. For my family, HP Instant Ink is worth it!
How Do I Start HP Instant Ink?
It’s a pretty easy two-step process to use HP Instant Ink:
1. You need an HP wireless printer.
We love the convenience of our Amazon Prime membership and checked out all the HP Wireless Printers.
If you’re not already an Amazon Prime member, you can get a 30-day free trial here. If you decided not to continue, you can cancel your membership.
2. You need to register for HP Instant Ink.
When your printer arrives, you’ll find information about HP Instant ink in the package. You can also go ahead and register now through my link and get one month free!
Sometimes they will offer you a coupon in the box for additional free months. You can stack that coupon with the one-month free from the link above.
How Does HP Instant Ink Work?
Since your printer is connected to HP wireless, it keeps track of your usage. You can check your account at any time to see how many pages you have printed and how many rollover pages you still have.
Also, the wireless connection allows HP to mail out a new cartridge when you are starting to run low. Not only will you never run out again, but there will also be no rushing to the store when your child has a school project or you desperately need a tax form!
You can get one FREE month of service here if you click through this link.
HP Wireless Printers that Work with Instant Ink
In order to use HP Instant Ink, you’ll need to buy an HP Wireless Printer (if you don’t already have one).
Head over to Amazon and check out all the HP Instant Ink Printers, or check out the ones below.
HP DeskJet 3755 All-in-One Compact Printer
This HP DeskJet 3755 is super affordable. This is an all-in-one printer, scanner, and copier and it has wireless printing,
Like to print from your phone? Wireless printing makes that doable!
HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e
The HP OfficeJet 8025e All-in-One Wireless Printer is an all-in-one printer, scanner, copier, and fax. This is great for home-based small businesses or homeschooling because it can print a larger volume.
It is also wireless and can print double-sided. It comes with 6 MONTHS of HP Instant Ink (700 pages a month plan!), plus an extended warranty.
If you set up through my HP Instant Ink link, you’ll get another free month!
How Much does HP Instant Ink Cost?
HP Instant Ink Plans range in price based on the number of pages you print. Depending on your printing needs, select the least expensive plan for your family.
Remember rollover minutes with cell phones? HP Instant Ink allows you to roll over a certain number of pages per month, too.
HP Instant Ink Plans
Here’s the breakdown on the HP Instant Ink Plans:
- 15 pages a month – $0.99/month
- 50 pages plus up to 100 rollover pages – $2.99/month
- 100 page plus up to 200 rollover pages – $4.99/month
- 300 pages plus up to 600 rollover pages – $11.99/month
- 700 pages plus up to 1400 rollover pages – $24.99/month
We were really happy with the 100 pages/month plan for quite some time. I’m able to print out all the printables for this blog, Amazon return labels, printable coupons, the printables I use with my children, and planner pages for household management.
It’s very easy to switch to a higher plan, though. When we quit distance learning and started homeschooling, I switched to the 300-page plan for good.
If you accidentally go over, you can print 10-20 extra pages for just $1 depending on your plan. The HP Instant Ink Plans cover all sorts of home printing needs.
Is it Easy to Switch HP Instant Ink Plans?
It is very easy to switch HP Instant Ink Plans.
If you have heavy printing needs for one month, you can easily increase your HP Instant Ink Plan to either $4.99 for 100 pages or $11.99 for 300 pages. Then change it back at any time.
One of my children has a disability and needs an IEP for school. These can be hundreds of pages long!
During IEP reevaluations, we’ve increased our plan when we need to review copies of the documents. Then we change back to the lower plan.
My HP Instant Ink Review
So now that you know all about the program, let’s get to the HP Instant Ink review:
Pros for HP Instant Ink
- Saves time spent on errands: no more rushing to the store when you’ve run out of printer ink and you need something printed ASAP.
- Saves money on printer ink: you can save hundreds of dollars on ink.
- Save energy: you don’t have to think about ink again as it ships automatically.
- You can print more pages for less money, including full color.
Cons for HP Instant Ink
- You have to use an HP Printer. You’re limited in your choices to this particular brand.
- You might need to purchase a new printer. If you don’t have the budget for a new printer now, you can’t use this plan.
Conclusion
During the 2020 Presidental Election Debates, I turned to my husband and said, “Hey, we’ve had this printer for four years.”
We both commented on how much I print (HELLO Printables) and how much HP Instant Ink has saved us in time, frustration, and money.
Bottom line: this is the most affordable way to print that I’ve found! You can save money on printer ink.
As for my personal biases: I only wrote this HP Instant Ink Review just to help out parents – the only compensation I *might* get is a month of free ink.
Sign up for HP Instant Ink today.